This Week’s LLL – Editor’s Choice

Harry Campbell @ The Four Hour Work Day writes Is it OK to Want to be Rich? – A lot of the articles I read around the personal finance sphere have to do with spending less than you earn, investing wisely and not buying lavish things. If you’ve read more than a handful of blogs you probably know that the formula to financial success is not all that difficult. Bloggers like Mr. Money Moustache actually make it seem pretty easy: want less, save more, downsize your home, etc.

BUDGETING

Jason @ The Money Makers writes Monica Wright Gets Engaged: How Much Ring is Too Much? – If you are a true basketball fan, then you have already heard of the recent engagement of NBA star Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the WNBA star Monica Wright of the Minnesota Lynx.

Jay @ Daily Fuel Economy Tip writes Hypermiling – 5 Tactics to Reduce Gas Consumption – With gas prices averaging $4 around the country, the average person is always looking for a new way to save money on gas and get the most mileage out of every tank. Many today are trying something new called hypermiling, a driving technique that many believe squeezes every last mile out of every gallon of gas.

Alexa @ Defeat Our Debt writes 7 Ideas for Saving Money on Food – If you want to speed up the debt payment process you need to make budget cuts. Here are seven ideas to save money on food.

Holly @ Club Thrifty writes Bracing for the Spend – Ugh, we are getting ready to move….and I am already bracing for the spend. Read about the huge purchases we are going to make in the next month.

Jack @ Money Saving Ethics writes Holiday Travel Tips 2013 – If you are planning to travel this holiday season? If so, you definitely should start making plans as early as possible because, as most of us know, traveling during the holidays can be expensive, tiring and stressful.

Katie @ IRA Basics writes Benefits of a Budget – Budget. It is a dreaded word, not one that instills ideas of grandeur and immense fun. It is also a word that’s often neglected, an idea that most of us would rather not think about.

Lily @ Paying Debt Down writes Have Financial New Year’s Resolutions? Here’s how to keep them – If you are like us you can’t believe that another year is already over but the fact is that 2013 has about a week to go! While you are busy looking back over the last 12 months we believe that one of the best things to do is also look forward to 2014 and start setting some financial goals for yourself right now.

Christopher @ This That and The MBA writes Tips for Organizing an Effective but Frugal Home Budget – Making a frugal home budget is an art and to accomplish this art, one needs to have an insight to the capability of handling the finances. Organizing a frugal budget will not only be helpful to maintain a stable financial situation, but it will also indicate your financial prudence for the near future.

Mr.CBB @ canadian budget binder writes LIfe event: Preparing your baby budget – First time parents are not going to be shocked to learn that bringing their baby into this world is going to cost them some money. Think of everything that you use to care for yourself in a day, then keep adding to that list diapers, formula and so on.

Lenny @ Best Money Saving Blog writes Prepare yourself for Small Business Success in 2014 – as a small business owner, preparing yourself for success is something that should never stop. The thing is, there’s really not much of a difference between the end of one year and the beginning of the next.

CAREER & EDUCATION

Cindy @ MidLife Finance writes Can You Afford It? – A once-in-a-while decision like this isn’t bad when you do it, well, once in a while. If it’s really important, go ahead.

Justin @ Edward Antrobus writes The final 2013 $3k Challenge Update – The year is now over and with it comes the close of the 2013 $3K Challenge. And I have some great news. For the first time ever, I have completed the challenge! As of today, I have earned $3067.32 for 2013. Actually, I passed the $3000 mark on November 6 when I received final payment for the sale of this blog.

Marissa @ Thirty Six Months writes The Joys of Freelancing – One of the things that I really enjoy doing is mentoring freelancers. I work in the start-up world, and freelancers are a big part of that. I get to see the ups and downs of that world every day. It is fascinating to see how people price their time, and creative abilities.

Glen @ Glennalicious.org writes How To Do Well In College – College is expensive, not just in terms of finances, but also with your time and energy. So how do you get the most out of your college education and do well? Check out our guide to exceling in college.

Dollar @ Easy Extra Dollar writes Finding a Real Writing Job – Being a freelance writer, I am always looking for writing opportunities wherever I can find them, and one thing I have discovered over the years is that they present themselves in many ways if you keep your eyes open.

FINANCIAL ADVICE

Jerry @ Motive Finance writes Myth-Busting Late Payments and Their Impacts – Even a single late payment can do significant damage to your credit score–everybody knows that–but beyond that there are tons of myths on the topic…myths we’re out to bust!

Daniel @ Make Money Make Cents writes It’s time to stop trying to keep up with the Joneses – More than likely you have heard the phrase “keeping up with the Joneses” more than a few times in your life. What it refers to is the phenomenon of using your neighbors as a standard for which to compare your own life and material goods.

Chuck @ Tortoise Banker writes How Do I Get Rich? – What if I told you getting rich was SIMPLE. Well, it is… but its not easy. Take a look at this post to make sure you’re taking the right steps to achieve your goals, and review my 16 principles for building wealth.

Sustainable PF @ Sustainable Personal Finance writes Would You Use an Alternative Currency? – One of the first rules of investing is that you need to have a degree of diversity in your assets. That way, if something goes wrong with one asset class, you will have another asset available to pick up the slack. But how does that work if most of your assets are denominated in a specific currency?

Alexa @ Single Moms Income writes Beginner Investing: 12 Investing Books to Read This Year – Since the start of the New Year I have decided I need to kick my personal finance skills up a notch. I have been just coasting by the last few months but I am ready to hustle, learn, and make 2014 a good year financially.

Marissa @ Finance Triggers writes The Perks of Living in the Suburbs – More and more people are moving are looking to move out of the city core, find out The Perks of Living in the Suburbs.

Sam @ The New Business Blog writes How to Build a Brand People will Adore – Many people outside of marketing think of a brand as sort of this false cover that is given to a product or service in order to con them into buying something that they do not actually want or, even worse, do not need.

Bob @ Dwindling Debt writes The Secret to becoming a 401(k) Millionaire – We recently came across an article from Fidelity Investments where they had analyzed the savings habits of approximately 1100 investors with 401(k)s. All of them were people who earned less than $150,000 a year but still had managed to accumulate more than $1 million in their 401(k) savings plan.

Jerry @ Wolverine Finance writes How Does it Work When Trading in Your Old Car? – If you’re planning to trade in your existing vehicle at the dealership, you could easily be taken advantage of. We give you the knowledge you need to get the most out of your old workhorse.

Pauline @ Reach Financial Independence writes Financial goals for 2014 – Today I will share my Financial goals for 2014. That was a fail for last year, but I am always the optimist and will put that goal back again for 2014.

Pauline @ Make Money Your Way writes Make money with New Year resolutions – It is almost the New Year! With a new year come new resolutions. Today I lists down some tips on how to make money with New Year resolutions.

Harry Campbell @ Your PF Pro writes Get $400 and 2.2% Cash Back with the Barclaycard Arrival – Now that my credit card total has reached a quarter century, I’m always on the lookout for the latest and greatest deals. Since I’ve already applied for a lot of the major cards, it takes a little more creativity these days to get the big spending bonuses but they’re definitely still out there. I recently did a small credit card churn for my fiancee and the Barclay Arrival was one of the first cards I did for her.

FRUGALITY

Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes Savvy Shopping Throughout the Year – There are certain times throughout the year when items go on sale, whether it’s seasonal or holiday-sales related. Like most people, I’d prefer buying them on sale! Here’s a clever infographic that breaks down the best time to purchase items by month.

INVESTING

Dominique Brown @ YourFinancesSimplified writes What is a SEP IRA? – The SEP IRA, or the simplified employment pension IRA, allows business owners to provide retirement funds for their employees as well as themselves…

Tushar @ Start Investing Money writes 3 MORE Ways to Free Up More Cash to Invest in 2014 – In the last article we looked at three easy ways to find more cash to sink into your best investments next year. Now we have three more ways for you to get you into the saving and investing mood in time for 2014.

Tony @ We Only Do This Once writes First Time Home Buyers? Watch Out for These Scams – Buying a home for the first time is exciting and terrifying at the same time but fret not, low deposit mortgages are helping first time buyers to get on the market.

Moneycone @ Money Cone writes Laziness is my vice and I put it to good use! – If I were to meet my 20-something year old self, I would probably punch him in the face! Among other questionable activities, for not signing up for a 401k,

Tushar @ Finance TUBE writes 3 ways to get your financial house in order – Hi and welcome to another episode of everything finance blog. I’m am Susan and today we are talking about three ways to get your financial house on order for 2014.

Matt @ Budget Snob writes It’s time to Review your 401(k) – A 401(k) plan is, for many people in the United States, the very keystone of their retirement plan. Now more than ever, especially due to the fact that defined benefit plans are disappearing, many Americans have the responsibility of making their own decisions about their finances and, in most cases, doing so with very little professional assistance.

Amy @ Money Mishaps writes What are the Contribution Limits for your IRA in 2014? – Preparing for retirement means exploiting tax advantage investments like IRAs but, in order to get the maximum advantage, knowing exactly how much you can put into them is vitally important. To that end, this blog has all of the info on 2014’s IRA contribution limits including traditional and Roth IRAs.

Hadley @ Epic Finances writes Investing in ETFs? Don’t forget to Consider The Total Cost – While many investors are quick to praise the cost efficiency of ET’s as well as seeking out the cheapest options, what many focus on is simply the expense ratio. The problem with this is that the expense ratio is only 1 of number of vital elements that should be taken into account when investing in ETFs.

John @ Frugal Rules writes Motif Investing Review: A Unique Approach to Investing – Investing in the stock market is vital to building wealth and with the variety of options available of where to invest it can be confusing. Choosing a good brokerage that has good offering and low fees can be a great way to help grow your retirement portfolio and get your investing on the right foot.

Jacob @ Cash Cow Couple writes Investment Choices – If you’re looking at possible stocks or ETFs in a portfolio, read this first

SAVING

Irfan @ Being Investor writes Effective Money Saving Tips for 2014 – Starting a new year is exhilarating and challenging at the same time. If you are one of the many people who consider 2014 as an important year, then you will surely exert extra effort to meet your goals for the year. To help you kick off your plans, here are some great money saving tips for 2014.

Monica @ Monica On Money writes How I Saved $6718 On Home Renovations – As my readers know, I have been searching for a better flooring option. But the problem is that home renovations are expensive!

OTHER

Tushar Mathur @ Everything Finance writes What to Do with Gifts You Don’t Want – Unless you very explicitly told people what you’d like for Christmas gifts AND those you told listened to you and bought what’s on your list, chances are y

Cat Alford @ Budget Blonde writes For Everyone Who Wants to Buy a House in 2014 – I’ve been seeing a few New Year’s Resolutions from people who want to buy a house this year or people who really want to whip their finances into shape.

IMB @ Investing Money writes Trading Like a Pro – Many persons go trading the markets and make a comfortable living. yet many more fall. What makes the difference? Here are a few ideas that may help you.

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes How To Get Ahead At Work And Become Filthy Rich – Do you want to know how to get ahead at work? How to become invaluable to your company and start earning more money? Here are 4 tips to accomplish just that.

Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes The 5 Best Ways to Make Extra Money in 2014 – Welcome to 2014!! Like every year, the holidays did quite the number on both my bank account and waistline. Bah. I definitely can’t help you with the waistline (and it’s -4 today in Maine, so there’s no chance I’m going to start working on mine today).

Bargain Babe @ BargainBabe.com writes How I Saved Money This Christmas – How I saved money this christmas, spending only $300 so I can save for my trip to Europe this summer.

Minimalist @ Minimalist Finance writes Cash or Card? – Cash or Card? has been published on Minimalist FinanceBelieve it or not, but the way you pay for something can have a fairly large affect on how much money you spend, where you spend your money, and your overall financial health. This sounds far fetched, but it’s actually more impactful than you may think.

Eva Baker @ TeensGotCents writes Obligatory New Year’s Resolution Post – I can’t help myself. I must jump on the New Year’s bandwagon. Even if I have never made any resolutions myself so far. For those who do – good luck!

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes The Dangers of Credit Cards – It’s easy to get into credit card debt. I am testing out the envelope budget system to see how effective it really is in controlling my spending.

Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes A Completely New Life 4 Years Later – How many of you have been reading BFS from the very beginning – way back in early 2010? Read how my experience has been in the past 4 years.

SBB @ Simple Budget Blog writes Preparing Your Budget for the New Year – 2014 is coming up fast! Don’t forget your budgeting! Here are some of the budget items you need to look at before the new year arrives.

Suba @ Broke Professionals writes Position Yourself for Career Advancement – Position Yourself for Career Advancement is a post from: Broke Professionals if you enjoy it, please visit us and subscribe to the Feed.

Tushar @ Earn More and Save writes 3 Options for Using Unwanted Gift Cards – I’m sure that many of you received your fair share of gift cards as presents. As an adult gift cards seem to be the most frequently given gifts. The only problem is that you often receive gift cards for places you never shop.

Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes How To Maximize Your Holiday Gift Cards – Ho! Ho! Ho! It appears that you’ll need Santa’s sleigh to get around town to return the clothes you didn’t like and the mountain of gift cards you received…

Dee @ Color Me Frugal writes Mortgage debt: good, bad, or ugly? – Mortgages are often touted as “good” debt- but they are still DEBT. Can there really be such a thing as good debt? We dive into this question here.

Natalie @ Debt and the Girl writes Ahhhh, 2014. Its Good to Meet You – I have been the equivalent of a lazy sloth lately and have been putting everything off except for my staff writing commitments as I refuse to be unprofessional on those.

Larry @ KrantCents writes My 2013 New Year’s Resolutions – Review – I decided to take a different approach when I formed my 2013 New Year’s Resolutions. As I reflect on my results, I am disappointed with some of the results! The results were mixed at best!

Andrea @ So Over This writes Movers Destroyed My Belongings – Saga Continues – You may remember that I wrote a post a few months back about my recent move to a new home, and some issues I experienced with the destructive moving company I hired.

Hi Steven! I just took a quick look at your blog and I definitely thing your posts can be submitted to these kinds of carnivals! There are some carnivals with certain categories such as taxes, retirement, and estate planning which I think your posts can relate to. Go for it!

Lisa, how do I actually get on carnivals. Do I just ask the blogger by leaving a comment or what?
PS: If you want to add me to your carnival please feel free to do so or let me know what I need to do with you to make it happen. Any of my articles that you think would be of interest would be fine with me.
All the best to you.